I’ve forever been meaning to put together a little video with directions for making an herbal tea. Making green or black tea is a different thing entirely from herbal (cover it and give it time!) The video is finally living on the oh-so-slowly growing LEARN page of my site. ☕️

I offer products because it’s an easy way to get people started in the world of plants. Since it takes a lot of my time despite not being my main passion (teaching) I really really love hearing how people enjoy what I offer. Please share anything you’ve used and loved...I’m featuring reviews on my site now!
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"The face wash has completely changed my skin. I have always struggled with acne and oily skin and other products would be overly drying, causing more problems. My skin feels clean and balanced now, and I have been using the face wash for over a year and no longer need to rely on concealer and foundation before I leave the house. I feel more confident and myself and have Wild Origins to thank for that!" - Katie
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“Your face wash is one of the nicest products I have used on my face for some time. I have sensitive skin and dermatitis of unknown origin on an area of my face that baffles the medical profession. Your product is so soothing and calming to my entire face, and particularly to the inflamed area. I feel like I cannot live without it now that I have started using it.” -Karen
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Today’s hops harvest from my mother’s vines. Breathing in the bitter smell I’m hit with some favorite hops memories...
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Teaching about hops and the class breaking down because everyone started laughing about how much its Latin name, Humulus lupulus, sounds like a spell from Harry Potter.
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Bonding with another herbalist over how much we hate hoppy beer but love hoppy tea. Anyone else feel that way?
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Drinking hops tea with a friend and watching her get so relaxed that she dozed off at the table. •
Making my first jar of bitters ever with hops from my mother’s garden. That medicine changed my life. •
I use hops mixed with valerian in the sleep tinctures and bitters I make for my friend and family. It’s also in the Wild Origins dream balm with rose, mugwort, and lavender. 💜

I love working on new products... because it means I get to have friends over to test them out. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
(....some new things are coming in the fall 😬)

I've been growing more herbs for Wild Origins this summer and talking with a local grower about what I'd like next season. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I'd love to have a smaller environmental impact with my products than what chamomile from Egypt and cornflower from Hungary allows. I want to be able to tell you that most, not some, of Wild Origins' herbs came from my yard, or Katie's farm, or Bernadett’s, instead of from a company in Oregon? (however great that company is..) I’m getting there, slowly.
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I teach radical workshops about the pure pleasure of working with plants to support your health. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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My next one is on Herbal First Aid, and I’m really excited about it!
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Like a lot of herbalists I talk about how herbs support and nourish the body, can bring balance to someone experiencing discomfort or dis-ease. I recognize the body's incredible ability to heal itself when it's receiving all it needs (like actual foods without added chemicals, water without added chemicals, sunshine without added chemicals (but mitigated by plant oils on the body!)) .
Medicinal plants, along with right food, right movement, time in nature, time with community, and time without endless distraction is enough to help us through so many issues of health and heart and mind.
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I do not think about health in the way most people in our culture think about it and I love introducing people to new (old) modes of thought. They, you, often have a dramatic shift in how you feel and function and that gives me goosebumps and gets me excited to keep teaching.
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I love to teach. I live to teach. Join me?

Bee balm / Monarda fistulosa is one of my favorite flowers. The tea has soothed my stomach many many times and the distinct taste reminds me of being a little kid in my mother’s sylvan garden.
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The flowers and leaves are spicy in a bergamot-y way, so some people use it for a homemade version of Earl Grey tea. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s impossible to buy it dried anywhere so whatever I grow in my garden is all I’m able to use. Once it runs out that’s it for my batches of Thrive for the year. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I just harvested some but the rest of the flowers still haven’t opened, believe it or not. They’re about a month behind because of my shady shady yard. I’m waiting patiently for when they’ll burst open like little fireworks and call the bees and the butterflies in the yard in greater numbers.

FREE SHIPPING on all orders through Thursday! Use the code AUGUST when you check out. ❤️

Summer Flea is TODAY! Come get a drink or popsicle and say hi!
@racheljoybarehl took this photo when I was experimenting with herb popsicles a while ago. And seeing it makes want one right NOW.

My medicine: teas and oils and spending time with trees and flowers and friends as often as possible. 📷 by @racheljoybarehl

I so love teaching workshops in my home. Everyone shares more, jokes more, asks more than at the workshops I’ve taught anywhere else. It feels much more intimate and comfortable, especially since I have to limit the number of people who come. At the end of the month I’m hosting one on Herbal First Aid and there are 6 spots left. (This pretty picture is of cucumber-y borage, taken by @coherg after last week’s Kitchen Witch workshop.)

At first this platform was so fun for me. I loved creating images of what I was working on and learning. I loved learning from people who were sharing here. But it began to feel stale. It was just work, or more often an unsatisfying distraction. After this so-satisfying month away I'm excited to lean back into it, to share and to learn. It feels new again.
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So, please tell me! How was your July? Mine was filled with workshops, restocks, walks, bikes, Steinbeck, poetry, and medicine making. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Also, I have a lot coming up in the next few weeks... The Columbus Flea is this Sunday, on the 18th + 19th I'm teaching a workshop about digestion at the Reeds and Roots Gathering, and on the 29th I'm leading an Herbal First Aid workshop. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀pic snapped by @mxmzphoto from my Folk Medicine Workshop @light_footsteps farm.

Connect with me through email, Facebook, or one of my events while I’m off Instagram for the month of July. I’ll be back from my insta-fast in August, hopefully feeling refreshed. Until then I’lll be spending all my free time outside with the help of bug spray.✌🏻✌🏻

I’m going to be off Instagram for all of July.
After another weekend in the woods with no technology my head is absurdly clear again (..I didn’t even realize I was feeling hazy) and I need to honor and explore that.
I’ll still send out the newsletter, will communicate through email, and will check the Wild Origins Facebook page so you can connect with me there.
And I’ll still be teaching and vending too. I’ll be working and existing, just a little more quietly from your perspective.

The face wash, in your words: I don’t know what I did before! / it has transformed my face / I love love love it! / my skin has never been this clear, not since before puberty <3 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Other than natural clay this $7 face wash is made of all edible ingredients and contains about enough for 40 washes.
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Don’t forget that all orders for the remainder of the month are shipped with a free little zine donated by @bookspace_columbus.

Sometimes botany is surprisingly easy. Square stem? Opposite leaves, possibly aromatic? You have something in the mint family, Lamiaceae. Some of my absolute favorites in the garden are in the mint family. Clockwise from the top here are peppermint, lemon balm, anise hyssop, bee balm, and holy basil. Only the peppermint tastes minty though these all taste so good.

I was nervous about opening up my home to teach a workshop but Kitchen Witch last Wednesday was so fun and relaxed. I especially enjoyed giving an impromptu garden tour. At the end of the workshop I got requests for Kitchen Witch 2 (specifically a hands-on deep dive into making a few herbal food recipes) so be on the look out for that to be announced in the next week or so. Any more requests for the kinds of recipes we should cover? // picture from workshop attendee @meghann_irl

I’m using the new photos as an excuse to spiff up product descriptions on the site (a couple products didn’t even really have descriptions). Writing copy is a random part of my job that’s equal parts fun and annoying. // Forget about the crushed beetles and carcinogenic dyes in mainstream lipsticks. This sheer lip tint is pretty much edible since it’s made with all natural ingredients and will protect your lips on the daily without the toxins. The color is flattering on everyone and gives lips (or cheeks) a hint of natural rosy color. Use it everyday as both a moisturizing balm and soft tint. // 🤷🏻‍♀️ that’s the best I got // photo by @mariasirianophoto

Don’t put away your body butter now that the cold dry weather is gone. It’s also so so good at soothing sunburnt skin.
Photo by @thisismedude

This is the sweetest review of Expand and Release (and the prettiest picture ever of Wild Origins tea) <3
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I'm new to loose herbal teas and ordered Expand and Release. Wow! It's a whole new experience. The holy basil in Expand is my favorite, and the tea truly relaxes me. Release is perfect for sipping quietly of enjoying with someone else. Both are absolutely perfect. I bought a Japanese teapot to make sure I get the most out of them, can't wait to try the other blends!
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New photos on the site by @mariasirianophoto